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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22512976">A Love That Never Dies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineprin137/pseuds/Pineprin137'>Pineprin137</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brotherly Love, Family Feels, Fluff in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), He's definitely not crying, Helpful Sam Winchester, Mary Winchester being a mom, Sick Dean Winchester, Sickfic, Sleepy Dean Winchester, There's something in Sam's eye</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:42:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22512976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineprin137/pseuds/Pineprin137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is sick. Sam and Mary help out while Jack and Cas are on a hunt.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Brother Knows Better</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm giving y'all a warning right now. I am in a warm, fuzzy mood this weekend so get ready for fluffy family feels. <br/>Some of it may include a little of my normal ick, but mostly I just want to write about the Winchester family members (Jack and Cas included, maybe a few others.) being wonderful and supportive of each other. </p><p>Because, hello S15 Ep11! <br/>Guys, it hit me right in the feels...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I see you survived despite the dramatic exit,” Sam chuckled as Dean shuffled back into the library with one hand cradling his abdomen. </p><p>Dean groaned and collapsed into the chair across from his brother. He wrapped both arms across his stomach and laid his head on the table. </p><p>“Shut up.” </p><p>Sam rolled his eyes. “You act like you’re dying.” </p><p>“That’s ‘cause I am.” </p><p>“No, you’re not. It’s just a bug, you’ll be fine in a few days.” As he spoke, Sam slid his glass of water in front of his sick brother. “Here. You need to stay hydrated.” </p><p>Dean raised his head a fraction to see the offered glass, burped softly, and laid his head back down. </p><p>“No, thanks, doc.” </p><p>“Dean, you’ve been throwing up and--” Sam saw the tips of his brother’s ears turn red and quickly racked his brain for a kinder way to describe the gastrointestinal havoc Dean’s been suffering from for the last day and a half, “--you’ve been in and out of the bathroom every five minutes since we got home two days ago, Dean. At this point, you’re getting severely dehydrated and need to replenish liquids.” </p><p>With a heavy sigh, Dean sat up. He stared disdainfully at the glass of water, narrowed his eyes and turned his head away. Sam pushed it an inch closer to the stubborn man. Dean glared. Sam nudged it again. Dean’s eyes flicked between the beverage he absolutely did <em> not </em> want to drink and his little brother. </p><p>Sam saw Dean’s resolve waver and brought out his not-so-secret weapon. </p><p>“Aw, dammit. C’ mon, Sammy! Don’t give me the puppy dog eyes.” </p><p>Dean sighed in defeat when Sam added a soft pout. He growled and grabbed the glass. But when he lifted it to his lips, he paused. </p><p>“Dean?” </p><p>He chewed his bottom lip. The rim of the glass was only a few inches from his mouth. He’d done this a million times. Albeit, usually it was with a beer bottle or a cup of coffee, but he knew how to drink. All he had to do was take a small sip. One tiny sip and Sam would be happy. Stop bitching at him so he could go sleep for at least a couple hours before his body decided to dredge up the remains of his sickness. </p><p>Sam saw the fear in his big brother’s eyes and gently closed the book sitting in front of him so Dean could have his full attention. </p><p>“Dean? You okay?”  </p><p>The older man was breathing heavily through his nose and the muscles in his arms kept twitching, a clear sign of his fist clenching beneath the table. </p><p>Sam sat up in his chair then leaned forward. Dean’s eyes rose to meet his. </p><p>“Just start small, okay? One sip. That’s all you have to do right now. Just take one small sip for me.” </p><p>Dean’s mouth was already watering in anticipation. Whether that was from extreme thirst or preparing to reject the impending liquid, he couldn’t tell. </p><p>The cool glass touched his lips and he parted them to let the water flow inside. One small sip. He could do this. </p><p>He managed two small swallows of lukewarm water and set the glass back down on the table. Sam watched, waiting. </p><p>Dean lifted a loose fist to his lips, gently rested his bottom lip against his pointer finger while the tip of his thumb brushed his chin. He waited a full minute… then another… Although he could feel the water swirling in his belly, it didn’t make any sudden escape attempts. </p><p>“Good?” Sam asked him with a kind smile. </p><p>Dean gave a tentative nod, “I think so.” </p><p>He leaned back in his chair and gestured to the dusty tome that Sam had been reading, “What’s that?” </p><p>“Oh, Jack called about that case he and Cas are on. They needed some information and I said I would look it up for them.”</p><p>“How are they doing?” Dean asked crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes closed, each breath getting deeper than the last. </p><p>“They’re alright, should be back tomorrow afternoon if what I found pans out.” </p><p>Dean’s chin dropped to his chest. His reply was mumbled. “Mm… that’s good…” </p><p>Sam couldn’t help his smile. His brother looked adorable right now, all sleepy and soft. He would wait until Dean was fully out then go grab a pillow and blanket for him. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mother Knows Best</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two hours later, Dean was contentedly snoring under a fuzzy blanket while Sam scribbled away in his journal. The last few hunts had been rushed and a little off-the-cuff so Sam had only managed to jot down notes at the time. Now that he had a quiet moment, he was filling in the rest of the details and updating the archive. </p><p>His phone vibrated beside what remained of his quick lunch and he scrambled to pick it up before it woke Dean. </p><p>
  <em> 2 Unread Messages </em>
</p><p>Sam frowned, he didn’t recall hearing it before now. It must have gone off during his bathroom break a while ago. </p><p>The first message was from Cas. </p><p>
  <em> Gold dust worked. Will head out in the morning.  </em>
</p><p>The second one was from Mom. She’d been helping out a group of teen hunters who were in way over their heads. She’d been gone almost a week and Sam was looking forward to seeing her. </p><p>
  <em> Fifteen minutes out. Can’t wait to see you boys. Love you.  </em>
</p><p>Fifteen minutes? He glanced at the clock and swore. It was almost seven which means he’d been at this for almost nine hours. His stomach growled. Now that he knew what time it was, his body was slowly alerting him to all the things that hadn’t been important enough to interrupt his reading earlier. </p><p>The pitcher of water on his left was empty and as Dean had only managed about three-fourths of his glass that meant that Sam had finished off the rest. The last few bites of his ham sandwich sat on the plate and he poked the top. The bread was stiff after sitting out for too long, the edges of the sliced cheese hardening, and the meat no longer cold. </p><p>Sam stood and stretched, debated whether to wake Dean or not. He’d fallen into a deep sleep with his head on the tabletop, the pillow Sam had fetched lying on top of his crossed arms. One socked foot on the floor, the other tucked beneath himself. </p><p>The hunched position couldn’t be good for his brother’s back. He would be much more comfortable on his memory foam mattress. Not to mention Sam would feel better knowing Dean was across the hall from him instead of sleeping in the library. </p><p>However, the dilemma was soon solved for him when the heavy iron door creaked open and then slammed shut. Sam jumped up from his chair and jogged toward the war room but he wasn’t fast enough. </p><p>“Sam? Dean? Anyone home?” Mary called as she limped down the iron staircase and dropped her duffle on the floor. </p><p>Sam glanced over his shoulder and saw Dean stirring. He sighed. At least his brother had gotten a little sleep. </p><p>He crossed the room and bent down to give Mary a hug. </p><p>“Hey, mom.” </p><p>She smiled, but he could see how tired she was. </p><p>“Hey. How did the vamp thing go? You and Dean make it back okay?” </p><p>“Yeah. We’re both in one piece--” </p><p> </p><p>“... Mom?” </p><p>They both turned toward the sleepy voice. </p><p>Mary began filling her other son in on the details of the hunt, the status of the young kids, how the families took the news, etc. </p><p>Sam took the opportunity to check on his brother’s condition. </p><p>Dean leaned heavily on the doorjamb. Rubbing the back of his head and yawning as he tried to wake up. He squinted at Mary and nodded along with the conversation but didn’t move from his spot.</p><p>Mary turned back to Sam and informed him that she was going to take a much-needed hot shower then crash. Sam absently listened as he observed Dean. His brother’s face was pinched. He watched as the other man swallowed hard and placed a hand on his stomach.</p><p>Sam cut his mother off mid-sentence, “Okay, that sounds good. I ate earlier so dinner will be a fend-for-yourself kind of thing.” </p><p>Mary’s brow creased and she followed Sam’s eyes until she spotted Dean. Her oldest son didn’t look so good. His face was pale and his eyes were clenched shut as he twisted the fabric of his tee-shirt in his fist. </p><p>“Dean?” When there was no answer, she asked Sam, “What’s going on? Is he okay?” </p><p>Sam shrugged without looking at her, “He’s feeling a little--” </p><p>Dean’s eyes flew open and he spun on his heels, bolting from the room with a hand on his belly and the other slapped over his mouth. </p><p>“--sick.” Sam finished with a sigh. </p><p>“Oh, my. Well… is he <em> alright </em>? Does he need anything?” </p><p>Sam smirked, “He’ll be fine. You can try to help if you want but he’ll only push you away. He doesn’t like to be around anyone when he’s sick.” </p><p>Mary looked crestfallen. “Oh.” </p><p>Sam hastened to add, “But what we <em> can </em> do is get his room ready so he can pass out when he’s done.” </p><p>Her smile returned and she nodded, “Right. Let’s get the bed turned down, fresh clothes ready, some toast and fresh water. Do we have any of that Gatorade leftover from when Jack wasn’t feeling well?”</p><p>He chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” </p><p>“Alright, grab that too.” Sam just kept looking at her, a smirk on his face. She raised her eyebrows in question. “What? Sam. What are you looking at?” </p><p>“You.” </p><p>She frowned in confusion even as a blush colored her cheeks. “What do you mean?” </p><p>Sam pushed a hand through his hair. “I mean, it’s uh, nice to see you like this. You know, wanting to take care of Dean. It’s sweet.” </p><p>Her eyes crinkled and her voice softened, “Of course I do. He’s my son and he’s sick.” </p><p>She cupped his face in her hand as she walked past him towards the hallway. </p><p>She paused at the doorway and turned around. “All my life, I hunted. I did what I was told to do by my dad and then I broke out on my own before you and Dean were born. But I doubted myself from time to time. Was the lore right? Was I doing the right thing for me, for my family? Was it actually worth the risk?</p><p>“But one thing I never doubted, never questioned was being your mother. I always knew what song to sing you back to sleep. The best way to get Dean to eat all of his vegetables. I knew how to rock you and how to bounce you. John had a little trouble at first, you were always squirmy when he held you, but just being in my arms seemed to calm you.” </p><p>Mary smiled at Sam. “<em> This </em>, Sam?. I was made for this. And no matter how old you and Dean get, I will always be your mother. I’ll always want to soothe your nightmares and take care of you when you get sick. Heal your broken heart or fix your bad day. You’ll always be my little boys.” </p><p>With tears in his eyes, Sam nodded.  </p><p>“Now, why don’t you go get the things from the kitchen while I go in and get his bed ready.”</p>
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